Testimonials Versus Informational Persuasive Messages

TLDR

The study tests whether testimonials or informational health messages are more persuasive across media modalities and recipient involvement levels, and examines how transportation and involvement jointly influence persuasion. The authors investigated how transportation and involvement together affect persuasive outcomes. Results show that audio testimonials are more persuasive than written ones, while informational messages work better for highly involved, high need‑for‑cognition audiences; these patterns, explained by the Elaboration Likelihood Model, guide efficient targeting of media modality and message format.

Abstract

This study aims to test the relative effectiveness of testimonials compared to simple informational health messages, presented both through different modalities and to recipients with different levels of involvement. Results of the three independent experiments demonstrate that testimonials are more persuasive when presented through the audio mode rather than when presented through the written mode. Also, the informational messages are more persuasive when perceived by individuals characterized by high rather than low involvement and high rather than low need for cognition. The results are explained in terms of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. The interactive effect of transportation and involvement on persuasion is further examined. The findings help in the development of more efficient message targeting. The highest level of efficiency can be achieved if the appropriate media modality and message format are used for recipients with certain initial involvement or need for cognition.